MALAGA is set to be cut off from high-speed trains to Madrid and beyond for at least another month.
It has been warned that high-speed rail between the capital and the southern city will remain inactive until March 23, just four days before Semana Santa.
The service which was once associated with efficiency, punctuality and security has been left in a limbo with operators like Iryo and Ouigo forced to cancel and refund tickets.
It was the news of these cancellations that rang alarm bells and led to the discovery that high-speed rail will not be operating for another month.
Ouigo told its customers that the reason for cancellations were ‘due to circumstances beyond one’s control’ and informed them that they could reschedule their trip or receive a reimbursement. Iryo has also cancelled its high-speed rail routes until this March date.
The two main reasons behind this delay are the Amaduz crash, which killed 46 people, and a landslide that has damaged the Alora section of the tracks.
Trains are now operating in both directions over the Amaduz tracks but investigations are ongoing and the vehicles are limited to a speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
The Abdalajis tunnel is also closed due to serious leakage problems; trains are running on a single track parallel and no punctuality issues have been caused as a consequence.
The tunnel itself is 8 kilometers long and has caused problems from its construction when the aquifer was punctured – Adif has supplied the municipality with tanker trucks regularly since then.
Over on the Alora part of the track work is being done to stabilise the landslide slope.
The damage to this section occurred on March 5 and its repair has been complicated by the wet and unstable state of the ground, which is made up of expansive clay.
It is this storm-caused damage that is currently affecting the routes between Malaga and Madrid the most.
Currently, the line is closed with Renfe offering passengers the option to use the train services operating to and from Santa Ana before or after travelling using Malaga’s bus service to this station.
Prior to this disruption, Malaga and Madrid were connected by 26 daily services.
The state of the rail service will be discussed in the February plenary session at Malaga City Hall tomorrow when the PP party brings forward an urgent motion on the matter.
“We once had a prestigious rail network, but that is no longer the case. The Adamuz tragedy forces us to consider how to do things right. Everything points to problems with maintenance and upkeep. We must work seriously on this issue, developing a comprehensive investment plan for rail infrastructure,” says Mayor Francisco de la Torre.
De la Torre is particularly concerned by the impact on the tourism sector, stating that there is an ‘obvious’ drop in hotel occupancy in Malaga compared to the same period last year.
With similar tourism concerns, the president of Malaga Provincial Council and Costa del Sol Tourism, Francisco Salado, spoke on the lack of transparency from the central Ministry of Transport and Adif about the further train delay.
“It is incomprehensible that at this point, with Easter right around the corner, we still lack precise information on the return to normal high-speed rail service,” Salado says.
An economic impact of 109 million has already been estimated as having occurred as a result of the Malaga-Madrid high-speed rail closure between January and March, according to Turismo Costa del Sol and the Malaga Provincial Council.
This ‘will now undoubtedly be increased,’ according to Salado.
He demands that the government establish tax benefits for companies affected by the loss of income caused by the closure once services return to normal.
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